New Survey Details How Labor Shortages Are Affecting Builders & Contractors

The construction industry in Florida and around the nation is struggling with a labor shortage. A recent survey of the industry by Associated General Contractors of America (ACG) shows 80 percent of contractors are having difficulty finding qualified construction workers.

This has been an ongoing issue particularly in Florida. Over the past few years construction starts have returned to almost peak levels in the state while trade and craft workers who fled after the great recession have not been fully replenished. Add to this, delays in required inspections with the higher demand outstripping human resources of local inspection departments and deliveries of new homes are taking longer.

The Northeast Florida Builders Association (NEFBA) is working to help by ramping up its efforts, like their training and apprentice programs, to add more qualified workers for the industry. Unfortunately, the labor shortage is expected to be a continuing problem, according to reports in several newspapers last week like this one from south Florida.

TerraWise Homes continues to leverage all resources to keep homes currently under construction moving forward. But these factors, along with more complex construction requirements of energy-efficient design and weather, are really adding time to the construction process.